From the 11th century onwards, many Italian towns achieved independence as political entities, unhindered by any centralising power. Until the late 13th century, when the regimes of individual “tyrants” took over in most towns, these communes were the scene of a precocious, and very well-documented, experiment in republican self-government. The authors draw on a rich variety of contemporary material, both documentary and literary, to portray the world of the republican regimes, focusing on the public spirit and factional strife that was to tear them apart. Discussion of the artistic and social

The City-States in Late Medieval Italy

This book covers the history of the tradition of the Jubilee – dating back to the Old Testament and lasted throughout the history of the Church – since its origins to our days. In the life of the faithful, the Jubilee represents a fundamental moment which took on different cultural significance in the various epochs. And, as in the past it has marked important moments in the history of mankind, the Jubilee is now the event which will mark the long awaited passage to the new millennium.

The Journey of Faith

No previous work has examined political exclusion in Early Renaissance Florence or its significance for the transition from Florentine popular government to oligarchy. Between the fourteenth and the first half of the fifteenth century, political exclusion became a normal feature of political life, regardless of the type of political regime; it was an essential instrument by which new governments consolidated their control over the city and the countryside in one of the largest and most powerful cities of Early Renaissance Europe. Exclusion from the Republic of Florence-separation from friends 

The Politics of Exclusion in Early Renaissance Florence

We live in a world in which almost all states purport to be republican. Very few adhere to the Ciceronian concept of res publica, understood as “that which belongs to the popolo (respublica respopuli) [...] and which has the observance of the law and the commonality of interests as its foundation”. The concept of republicanism is traditionally connected to the principle that true political freedom consists of not being subject to the arbitrary will of any man or group of men, and it requires equality of civil and political rights. Republicanism has attracted scholars who aim to develop insight

Republicanism

This book brings together scholars to reflect upon the significance and meaning of local and regional history, focusing on how these histories impact people’s cultural identity through traditions, culture, language, and politics. Scholars from all over the world analyze the process of communal identity construction ‒ the feeling of belonging to one state or nation regardless of one’s legal citizenship status ‒ by focusing on case studies from North America, South America, Africa, and Europe. By analyzing the cultural and social aspects of community formation through language, religion, symbols

Regional History as Cultural Identity

Questo volume raccoglie gli atti del convegno di studi dedicato a I luoghi del sacro organizzato da Georgetown University e dal Center for the Study of Italian History and Culture tra il 12 e il 13 giugno del 2006. In questa occasione un gruppo di studiosi provenienti da varie parti dEuropa e degli Stati Uniti ha discusso i rapporti tra citta e sacro nel periodo compreso fra Medioevo ed Eta moderna e ha preso in esame la sacralita in tutte le sue forme, soprattutto in rapporto con la ritualita. Il volume si accosta al la dimensione simbolica dello spazio urbano e alla sua intrinseca funzione s

I luoghi del sacro

El islam

The book traces the history of Florence in a synthetic and accessible way, starting from 59 BC, traditional date of the foundation of the Roman colony, until 1967, the year after the terrible flood of the Arno river. The main events, the historical places, the great characters remind us why Florence is considered to be not simply a city, but a real cultural model, the origin of the values of democracy and freedom, of rational thought and of modern scientific method, homeland of some of the greatest geniuses of humanity.

Una breve storia di Firenze

The Medici dynasty is one of the most famous in history. The story of the family was inextricably bound with Florence, the city of the Renaissance, and influenced its destiny from the time of Cosimo the Elder (1389-1464) up to the reign of Gian Gastone (1671-1737). It maintained a firm grasp of political and economic power while also fostering literature and the arts. This book tells the story of the Medici, offering a varied and fascinating portrait of this great dynasty, tracing its origins back to the Middle Ages and dwelling on its most famous exponents, by now emblematic figures in the co